Read all the research, news, and policy in our arts education RECAP for March 2021.
Research
Arts Integrated Teacher Education Benefits Elementary Students and Teachers Alike “Early career teachers attribute much of their differentiation ability to the arts integration class. They also report the joy it brings to both teaching and learning, even within a crowded instructional day. The ability to reach more learners and improve enjoyment are two outcomes well documented in current arts integration literature.” EdNote
Equity
The Los Angeles School Board Slashes its Police Force and Diverts $25 million to Services for Black Students “The Board of Education overseeing the Los Angeles Unified School District voted Tuesday to slash $25 million from the Los Angeles School Police Department and cut 133 jobs, a spokesperson told CNN. Money will go from the police agency to a Black Student Achievement Plan to empower community groups, improve student literacy, and reduce the ‘over-identification of Black students in suspensions, discipline and other measures,’ according to the meeting agenda.” CNN
Cracking the Code on Funding Schools Equitably “Funding schools equitably is about distributing money to school districts and student populations that need it most, and states can use several tools to achieve this. Our new Glossary of K-12 Education Funding defines key terms needed to understand foundation formulas, categorical funding and other ways states support K-12 education, which can help support students and close the opportunity gap.” EdNote
Strategies for Retaining Teachers of Color and Making Schools More Equitable “According to the National Center for Education Statistics 2017-18 report, 79% of teachers are white, even as the majority of students attending public schools are children of color. However, research shows schools are missing out on many potential benefits when teachers don’t reflect the ethnic or racial diversity of their students.” KQED
Calls-to-Action
Why Art? Harnessing the Power of Research in Arts Education This webinar is designed for educators, administrators, parents, and students and will revire research, interact with arts advocates, listen to student stories, and review how you can make promote arts education. Scheduled for March 12, 2021. CCSESA
Individual Artist Fellowships “The Individual Artist Fellowships program intends to recognize, uplift, and celebrate California artists. Fellowships will support artists from a broad spectrum of artistic practices, backgrounds, geographies and communities, whose work addresses themes including but not limited to race, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.” Deadline: April 1, 2021. CA Arts Council
Advocacy
Now Recruiting: Online Army of Volunteer Tutors to Fight ‘COVID Slide’ “A recent analysis by McKinsey & Company predicted that cumulative learning loss due to the pandemic could be ‘substantial, especially in mathematics,’ with students likely to lose five to nine months of learning by the end of the 2020-21 school year.” The 74
Action Center “Use the CAA Action Finder to follow local and national issues, read up on bills, or find your legislator!” CA Arts Advocates
Policy
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona: Here Is My Five-Point Plan to Get Students Back in School Full Time “We must continue to reopen America’s schools for in-person learning as quickly and safely as possible. As Secretary of Education, this is my top priority. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced steps to accelerate school reopening nationwide by treating in-person learning as the essential service that it is and prioritizing educators for vaccinations in every state in the country.” USA Today
Inside the $130 Billion Biden Schools Proposal: Big on Safety and Teacher Retention, but Experts Warn May Not Fully Address Student Learning Loss “The bulk of the total — $147 billion — focuses on maintaining and increasing staffing levels of teachers, nurses, custodial staff and other positions, while $9.5 billion is allotted for supplies such as masks and barriers between students.” LA School Report
Inside the New CDC Guidance on Reopening Classrooms: Masks and Social Distancing Key Safety Strategies, Vaccinations Not a Precondition for In-Person Learning “A new color-coded system organizes schools into zones, ranging from blue for low risk of transmission — where there are nine or fewer cases among 100,000 people in a seven-day period — to red, where there are 100 or more positive cases per 100,000. The agency recommends full in-person learning for schools in blue and yellow zones and hybrid schedules for those in orange zones, where spread is substantial.” The 74
California Sets Priorities for Vaccination of Teachers and School Employees “California health officials released a detailed roadmap with priorities for how and which school employees can get vaccines first, starting with those already back in-person and those with plans to return to campus in about three weeks.” EdSource
Biden Administration Requires States to Test Students, But With Flexibility for Shorter, Remote or Delayed Exams. Experts Say Balance Struck is ‘Sensible’ “The decision, issued before Biden’s education secretary nominee Miguel Cardona’s expected confirmation, was met with celebration by many education advocacy organizations and frustration by teachers unions. For the new administration it represents an effort to take stock of the learning that has been lost amid coronavirus school closures.” The 74
Miguel Cardona is Confirmed as Education Secretary. Up First: Pushing for Aid and Reopening More Schools “Senators voted 64 to 33 to approve Cardona a month after he faced a relatively friendly confirmation hearing, where he pledged he would “do everything in my power” to ensure a smooth rollout of President Biden’s plan to reopen most elementary and middle schools by the end of April.” Chalkbeat
Thanks for reading our arts education RECAP for March 2021. View all our past RECAPS here.
